Paul D. Laursen of Crawfordsville, Indiana, died on October 17, 2024. He was 87 years old.

Paul Laursen was the last of five children born to his parents John P. and Metta K. Laursen. He grew up on the family farm in the rolling hills of western Iowa with siblings Marvin, Verner, Vera and Esther.  He attended Pymosa School #2 through the 8th grade, walking to the one-room schoolhouse or riding in a horse-drawn wagon, then graduated from Atlantic High School.

At Grand View College in Des Moines, he met Carol Christensen, a fellow descendant of Danish immigrants. Sparks flew between the farm boy and the city girl, and they married in 1960. Paul attended college at the University of Iowa, then finished at Roosevelt University with a degree in business finance and took a job in the purchasing department at R. R. Donnelley in Chicago. The couple lived on Chicago's south side until Paul transferred to the Crawfordsville Donnelley plant in 1964 and they moved their young family to central Indiana. He worked there for the rest of his career, keeping the presses stocked with paper and the bindery with foils and leather for book covers, and retired as a senior buyer in 1996.

Paul enjoyed exploring America's national parks and historic and scenic places with his family, camping in a fold-down tent camper. In retirement he and Carol upgraded to a fifth-wheel trailer and later a self-contained motor home, which they used as a winter home base for birding and relaxing in Arizona, Texas, and Florida, and for rambles around the Midwest, the Atlantic coast, and the Smoky and Rocky Mountains. As a campground host at Seminole Canyon State Park in Texas, Paul could find a connection with just about anyone who stopped by to ask where to do laundry or fix a rattle in their tow vehicle. He and Carol visited many of Indiana's beautiful state parks and traveled to Denmark, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, and the Caribbean. A special place each summer was Danebod Folk Camp in Tyler, Minnesota, where they met up with family members and Grand View friends to celebrate lifelong learning and Danish heritage.

Paul was a member of Christ Lutheran Church for 60 years, and served as a church council member and treasurer for many years. After watching his kids in a lot of swim meets, Paul decided to join them: he qualified as a swimming official and worked many age-group and high school meets as a starter and stroke judge. Local athletic directors appreciated his reliability and his calm demeanor with disappointed swimmers and disgruntled coaches. He retired when Carol was still working, so he took over the grocery shopping and gamely learned to cook a few supper dishes. He always kept the yard looking nice, the bank accounts balanced, and the cars purring. A professional shopper, he wasn't a cheapskate but he did like to find a good deal on a vehicle, an appliance, or a gallon of gas. Paul was a passable golfer, a pretty good bowler, and a lifelong fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs. He cheered for the Colts and the Pacers, favored Purdue over Indiana and the Packers over the Bears, and got interested in women's basketball through following Caitlin Clark.

Paul was good at gentle teasing, tickling children, meandering country drives, pranks, puns and puzzles, and spotting wildlife at a distance. He liked to sit in a lawn chair reading a mystery novel or talking with a friend. He accumulated an array of nicknames, and you could tell when he'd met someone by which nickname they used. He was very proud of his family and interested in just about anything his kids and grandkids got up to-- tracking their sports matches, learning about their jobs, or attending their concerts. He listened more than he talked, but could easily spend an hour chatting on the phone with a sibling or his brother-in-law. His love language was to fill your car's gas tank and slip a check into your hand at the end of a visit. His strongest distinguishing characteristic was the twinkle in his eye when he told a joke, or when you did.

Paul is survived by his wife of 64 years, Carol, of Crawfordsville; his children Sandra of Boulder, CO, Alan (Dana) of Traverse City, MI; and Annette (Peter Brickley) of Mattapoisett, MA; grandchildren Jonah Laursen, Kieran Laursen, Tova Brickley, and Torsten Brickley; brother Verner and sister Esther; and a wide circle of extended family and friends. His family thanks the kind people at Whitlock Place, who cared for him as his Parkinson's disease advanced. The family will celebrate his life at a later date.